Knives with mechanisms for protecting the knife blade when not in use are known. Some of these knives are of a folding variety, with a blade that pivots from an open position to a folded position where the blade is protected within an opening in the knife handle, such as a common folding pocketknife. Another type of protecting mechanism allows for retraction of the knife blade. In this variety the knife blade can be moved from an open position which has the blade extended from the knife handle, to a closed position which has the blade disposed within an opening within the knife handle, and where the movement of the knife is substantially linear.
For some applications, the folding and retractable designs are acceptable. However, for other applications, these designs are less desirable. For example, for scoring dough, it is advantageous for the knife to have a smooth bottom surface to avoid tearing of the dough. A scoring knife with such a design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,948, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. If the knife blade of the scoring knife can be folded or retracted, the bottom surface of the knife will not be smooth, thus making the knife less desirable for scoring.
Accordingly, a need exists for a knife having a non-folding and non-retractable blade but that includes a mechanism for protecting the knife blade when not in use.